Sermonette on Tenemos Esperanza - holding on to hope by Jane Stranz

Sermonette preached on Monday 30 June 2008 in the Ecumenical Centre Geneva
Praying through the ecumenical prayer cycle for Bolivia, Chile and Peru

Texts Psalm 69 and Mathew 10 24 -32
Picture by Andre Jordan from If You’re Happy and You know it


Don’t let go…

The Psalmist says:
More in number than the hairs of my head
are those who hate me without cause;

And Christ in the gospel teaches:
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground unperceived by your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.

Prosper Munatsi, who was here in the ecumenical centre last week, has not let go
He returned to Zimbabwe on Thursday last week where he continues to lead the Student Christian Movement – encouraging others also to hold onto hope.

It is not easy to hold on to hope
It’s such a fragile, vulnerable thing

You may think that your enemies are more numerous than the hairs on your head
This sense of being encircled may make you give up
Take you down to the pit of despair

But actually God will care for and uphold you,
And the Gospel promise is that this is an intimate care
which knows you are of vastly more value even than lowly sparrows
and which knows the number of hairs on our heads.

Prosper’s decision not to remain silent but simply to continue forwards in hope
spoke deeply to me over the past week of the spirituality of resistance we mention so often in many of our meetings.
His hope and the hope of so many others around the world is based on the firm conviction that each and every human being is precious, counted and cared for by a loving God.

It was this same hope and conviction that inspired Bishop Federico Pagura.
Even at the height of military dictatorship in Argentina he held on to hope and the belief in human dignity and a God who loves and cares for each of us with deep compassion

Although I don’t speak Spanish his wonderful hymn Tenemos esperanza speaks to me deeply of what a Christian spirituality of resistance should be
With its glorious tango rhythm full of energy, speed and also discipline
A pas de deux for and of the people
Deeply rooted in the values of the gospel,
rooted too in the current and future struggles of the people where they and we are now.

As we give thanks for the overcoming of the military dictatorships in so many Latin American countries
We recognize too that it took time, it was hard
– people disappeared and died and are grieved for to this day.
That time also speaks to us of resistance and of holding on to hope.

In Andre Jordan’s childish picture on our service sheets this morning
We can see how hope is fragile
If we let go it will blow away and be a distant memory up in the clouds
The image shows how hope needs to be held onto at ground level
Jordan knows about this in a profoundly personal way.
He draws to overcome, to some extent, very deep and repeated attacks of depression.

Hope needs to be rooted, held on to
in each of our many cultures,
and in our own lives

This is how a long distance spirituality of resistance can begin to take shape in our lives, in our churches, in our world.

Hold on to hope.

Tenemos Esperanza!


Copyright (c) WCC/Jane Stranz

An ecumenical order of prayers for Bolivia, Chile and Peru

Worship in the Ecumenical Centre for Monday 30 June 2008
Tenemos Esperanza
A spirituality of resistance

Praying through the ecumenical prayer cycle for Bolivia, Chile and Peru

Welcome

Sing ~ El Cielo canta alegria ~ Agape 22 verses 1 and 2 Spanish, verse 3 English

Image: Copyright Andre Jordan from : If You’re Happy and you Know it

Psalm 69 (extracts)
Save me, O God,
for the waters have come up to my neck.
I sink in deep mire,
where there is no foothold;
I have come into deep waters,
and the flood sweeps over me.
I am weary with my crying;
my throat is parched.
My eyes grow dim
with waiting for my God.
More in number than the hairs of my head
are those who hate me without cause;
many are those who would destroy me,
my enemies who accuse me falsely.

Sung response ~ Agape 81
Santo, Santo, Santo
i Mi Corazon te adora!
Mi Corazon te sabe decir:
i Santo eres Señor

With your faithful help rescue me
from sinking in the mire;
let me be delivered from my enemies
and from the deep waters.
Do not let the flood sweep over me,
or the deep swallow me up,
or the Pit close its mouth over me.

Sung response: Santo, Santo, Santo (Agape 81)

Answer me, O Lord, for your steadfast love is good;
according to your abundant mercy, turn to me.
Do not hide your face from your servant,
for I am in distress—make haste to answer me.
Draw near to me, redeem me, set me free because of my enemies.

Please stand to sing ~ and remain standing for the reading of the Gospel

Hale, hale, hale luya
Hale, hale, hale luya
Hale, hale, hale luya
Haleluya, Haleluya

Gospel reading ~ Mathew 10 24 -32 read in Spanish
‘A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master; it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the slave like the master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household!
Whom to Fear ‘So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops. Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground unperceived by your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.
‘Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven; but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven.
Not Peace, but a Sword ‘Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.

Hale, hale, hale luya …

Meditation - Hold on to hope by Jane Stranz

Sing: Tenemos Esperanza verse 1 in Spanish ~ Agape72

Prayers of intercession
We pray throughout this week for the peoples and churches of Chile, Bolivia and Peru.

Spirit of peace, fill all the world with your transforming presence.
May the leaders of all countries rule with maturity and justice.
May all nations have tranquility and their sons and daughters be blessed.
May the people and the flocks and the herds prosper and be free from illness.
May the fields bear much fruit and the land be fertile.
May the face of all enemies be turned towards peace.

Sung Response: Oré poriaju vereko Ñandejara / Oré poriaju vereko Ñandejara ~ Agape 69

Spirit of unity, we pray for your church.
Fill your people with all truth and peace.
Where we are corrupt, purify us. Where we are in error, direct us.
Where anything in us is amiss, reform us. Where we are right, strengthen us.
Where we are in need, provide for us. Where we are divided, reunite us.

Sung Response: Oré poriaju vereko Ñandejara / Oré poriaju vereko Ñandejara

Spirit of love, watch over those who wake or watch or weep,
and give your angels charge over those who sleep.
Tend the sick, rest the weary, give courage to women in childbirth,
soothe the suffering, and bless the dying.

Sung Response: Oré poriaju vereko Ñandejara / Oré poriaju vereko Ñandejara

God of Creation, of planting, growth and harvest:
Sow the potential of your Word in our lives, in the midst of this world,
like seed broadcast across a field of fertile soil.
Through the presence of your Son, our Light and our Life,
nurture the tender shoots of faith as they grow strong and tall.
By the power of your Spirit, help us to reap a harvest
of honest belief, unity, justice, peace and love.
Amen.

(copyright (c) WCC - Em Tua Graça)

The Lord’s prayer ~ said by each in their own language

Blessed are the poor…
Not the penniless, but those whose hearts are free.
Blessed are those who mourn…
Not those who whimper but those who raise their voices.
Blessed are the meek …
Not the soft but those who are patient and tolerant.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice …
Not those who whine but those who struggle.
Blessed are the merciful …
Not those who forget but those who forgive.
Blessed are the pure in heart …
Not those who act like angels but those whose life is transparent.
Blessed are the peace-makers …
Not those who shun conflict but those who face it squarely.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for justice …
Not because they suffer but because they love.
(copyright P. Jacob, Chile, from Wisdom is Calling pp.263-264 ed G Duncan)

Blessing

Sing: Tenemos Esperanza verses 1, 2 and 3 in English or Spanish.

Ecumenical prayers for Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina prepared by young ecumenists

Ecumenical Centre Prayers, Monday, June 23, 2008
This liturgy and prayers were put together by a group of young people working in the different ecumenical organisations in Geneva. During this week we will be praying for Paraguay, Urugauay and Argentina according to the ecumenical prayer cycle.

Welcome & Call to worship
Song, Cristo vive, fuera el Ilanto (Thuma Mina 281)
Prayer
God of all goodness,
You have been our refuge from generation to generation.
Your will is that peace should shine on all people everywhere.
With your spirit, guide the efforts of humankind
to bring peace and justice to the nations of the earth,
and give strength to rulers and all who work to establish peace and justice in the world.
Inspire those who come together in search of ways to bring about peace,
and through your word, change the hearts of all people so that we shall strive for:
Peace, and not war,
The Common Good, rather than individual wellbeing,
Your Justice, instead of our own glory.
You have given us your peace.
Enable us to share that peace with those around us,
so that love and harmony may be always present in our lives,
that all the world may know happiness,
that we may live with dignity as brothers and sisters,
and that all may rejoice in your presence.
United in diversity, we call upon your infinite grace,
humbly asking you to receive our prayer and make us instruments of your peace.
Amen.

Scripture readings
Psalm 69:13-18
13 But I pray to you, O LORD,
in the time of your favor; in your great love, O God,
answer me with your sure salvation.
14 Rescue me from the mire, do not let me sink deliver me from those who hate me, from the deep waters.
15 Do not let the floodwaters engulf me
or the depths swallow me up
or the pit close its mouth over me.
16 Answer me, O LORD, out of the goodness of your love;
in your great mercy turn to me.
17 Do not hide your face from your servant; answer me quickly, for I am in trouble.
18 Come near and rescue me; redeem me because of my enemies.

John 17:13-21
13"I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. 14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified. 20"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.

Testimonies…

Intercessions (Song, La paz del Señor, Thuma Mina, 187)
As we pray this week in the ecumenical prayer cycle for the countries of Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, we lift up in our hearts dear God…

The families and friends of those who were murdered or disappeared in Argentina and Uruguay including the mothers of the plaza de Mayo who through their resistance bring hope for justice and healing.

We pray for Guidance to those in the government of Paraguay as they work to remove corruption and bring justice to those who have abused power.

We pray that you may guide the people of Uruguay towards peaceful and democratic elections in 2009,

Dear God we pray for those who experience poverty and struggle for daily bread, who live without security, safety and shelter.

And for those who must live far from their families and home in order to make a living and provide for their families,

La paz del Señor, la paz del Señor,
la paz del Resucitado,
se hace presente a hora ya quí
apréstate recibirla.

We give thanks for the leadership and service to the churches of the people from these countries including former WCC general secretary, Emilio Castro. We thank you for the courageous church people who have worked and stood up for justice.

We thank you for the radiant nature of this region and that your creation continues to give life and beauty. Teach us to take care of your creation responsibly.

Oh God, You who are always with us, who will never quit us … teach us your peace and how to share it,

La paz del Señor, la paz del Señor,
la paz del Resucitado,
no puede vivir encerrada en si,
apréstate compartirla

Lord’s Prayer (said together each in our own language)

Blessing
Que la bendición del Dios de paz y justicia esté con nosotros
Que la bendición del Hijo que llora las lágrimas del mundo sufriente esté con nosotros
Y que la bendición del Espíritu que nos inspira la reconciliación y la esperanza esté con nosotros, ahora y siempre.
Amen

Closing Song, Seigneur, rassemble-nous (Agape, p.148 )
Verses 1- 3, 6,7 in English

Ecumenical morning prayer for Brazil - prepared by Hannelore Schmid

Morning Prayer, Ecumenical Centre, Friday, 20 June 2008 - Praying for Brazil in the ecumenical prayer cycle.

Call to worship

Come to worship
not out of habit
not out of duty
not because your name is on a rota
not because you will earn points in heaven.

Come to worship
because you love God
because you love yourself
because you love God’s world
because you love God’s people.

We come to celebrate the living God
made present in us and among us.

© Clare McBeath, U.K.

Song: Cantai ao Senhor (TM 3,1st stanza in Portuguese and in English)

Bible Reading – Revelation 21: 1 – 5
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away." And the one who was seated on the throne said, "See, I am making all things new." Also he said, "Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true."

The City of God - meditation by Hannelore Schmid

Intercessions

We pray for hope for the children in our midst,
for the children in the favelas of Brazilian cities
and in the cities of the world.
We pray for the children facing a world torn by conflicts.
All that they ask is time to grow, loving care and
to be able to live the years for which they were born.

Sung response: Kyrie, tem piedade (TM 43)

This is our task today:
to build a world of peace, justice, freedom and truth
where kindness will increase.
A world free from hunger and where people share,
where every person is of worth.
Renew in us your vision of wholeness,
that the rich my restore wealth to the poor
and the poor share blessings with the rich.

Sung response: Kyrie, tem piedade (TM 43)

Into your hands, O God, we commend ourselves.
Send us your spirit to guide our thoughts and direct our wills.
Grant us wisdom to know what is right and power to do what is good.
Refresh in us our sense of calling,
that we may follow Christ in serving others
and live simply with those who simply live.

Sung response: Kyrie, tem piedade (TM 43)

The Lord’s Prayer

Blessing

May the blessing of the God of peace and justice be with us;
May the blessing of the Son who weeps the tears of the world’s suffering be with us;
And may the blessing of the Spirit who inspires us to reconciliation and hope be with us;
from now into eternity.
Amen.
© Clare McBeath, U.K.

Statement by EATWOT in favour of the freedom of theological expression following threats to remove Father José Maria Vigil from his congregation

Declaration In Favor of Freedom of Expression in Theology
From the fragmentized and mono-religious world in which our ancestors lived for millennia, we
have moved to a multicultural and multi-religious world society, in which some traditional affirmations by religions are no longer acceptable, or even understandable, regarding their exclusivity, superiority, sole divine election, privilege, manifest destiny to absorb all others. It is something common to all religions, including Christianity.

The Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians, EATWOT, took on this theological challenge in its 2001 General Assembly in Quito, Ecuador, setting in motion a collective project, among others, regarding the “theology of religious pluralism,” in a collection entitled, “Down God’s Many Paths.” It renewed this option in its 2006 General Assembly in Johannesburg, South Africa, and chose José María Vigil to advance and coordinate the collective work of its International Theological Commission. Fr. Vigil had been working on the project from its outset and has now received from the Vatican the threat of expulsion from his congregation and from his church, due to his personal involvement in this theological area, and more specifically, because of his book, Teología del Pluralismo Religioso (Theology of Religious Pluralism).

Affected by the threat made against this theologian, member of EATWOT, and Coordinator
of its International Theological Commission, is all the theological work produced on this topic by our Association and by so many other men and women theologians, which is being suppressed.
Therefore, we wish to express our desires that:

• the freedom to do theology be respected, as well as the ability to do it on the edges of the old
orthodoxy in need of updating, as the Church itself “semper reformanda;”

• the theological realm not be confused with that of the churches’ internal disciplines, nor
scholarly professional reflection with a theologian’s personal faith;

• the conscience and ecclesial affiliation of theologians, the demands of their conscience, their
sincerity and honesty be respected;

• the service provided by theology be valued as it helps to express in an intelligible and credible
way for today’s world, the religious experience that we have received as a living tradition;

• the provisional nature of the search and willingness to dialogue, continue to reflect and
eventually reformulate, be recognized, without obstructing discernment through unilateral
condemnations, much less ex-communications;

• it be recognized that, assuring our greatest respect and esteem for the popular sectors of the
churches, we feel duty-bound to help them grow in knowledge and critical awareness also in
their popular theology, their reading of the Bible, and their ecclesiastic experience; the “faith of
the lowly” is precisely the one which deserves more recognition and a more mature stance,
using a pastoral touch and rigorous pedagogy, without attempting to keep them infantilized or
outside the great debates on faith, which concern “every human being who enters this world.”

We will not engage at this time in endorsing or subscribing to the theses of our colleague nor
of those of any others among us; we simply uphold the right to do theology freely, and we bear
witness to the sincerity of our search and the genuine love that guides our theological service.

The last EATWOT Executive Council meeting, held in New York this past May, expressed and
confirmed its gratitude to José María Vigil for this service, and we ask the hierarchy of his church to respect his work and his conscience, refraining from imposing any canonical measures against him, which we would also feel to be directed against our theological service towards a renewed faith in today’s pluralist world.

We invite all theologians, all our brothers and sisters and their communities, and all theological
institutions, to join in this declaration of good intent.

2nd June 2008

Please, sign at:
http://latinoamericana.org/TheologicalCommission/Statements/ToSign.php

Visit: www.eatwot.org/TheologicalCommission

http://latinoamericana.org/TheologicalCommission/Statements

A meditation by Simei Monteiro on the Terra sem Males - the Land without evil

This meditation was preached by Simei Monteiro on Monday 16th June in the week when the ecumenical prayer cycle turned to Brazil. In this mediaiton Simei tells part of the story of the concept of the Guarini people's Land without evil and outlines some of the elements of the extraordinary Mass of the Land without Evil. Simei works at the WCC at the worship consultant and is also a composer.

Telling the Story of the land Without Evil ("Terra sem Males" in Portuguese or "Maíra", in Guarani)

In the Sixteenth Century the Tupy- Guarani peoples lived in a vast area in the middle of South America- from the region of the Amazon as far as the Chaco region almost to the frontiers of the Inca Empire. Now only small Guarani groups remain in Brazil and mostly in Paraguay where the Guarani language is still spoken.
The Tupy people disappeared at the beginning if the Eighteen Century because they lived near the coast and had much contact with the colonizers.

The first colonizers, Spanish and Portuguese, misunderstood the main point of the Guarani religion. They looked for a totem, an altar, a temple, or at least a name for God, the Creator, but they could not find any word except the name the indigenous used for lightening: "Tupã". Then this word was understood as the designation for "God". They did not realize that the Guarani religion was a "Prophetical religion" meaning that the Guarani held a very deep belief that a land without evil existed; a land that could be beyond the mountains or beyond the Sea.
"Y vy mara ey" or simply Maíra, the "terra sem males" is like a conception of an Eden in Guarani Theology. That is why they did not need any established priest or god. They simply need a prophet ,the one who could guide them to the Maíra.
They called the prophet: "caraí", the one who knew the way to the Land without Evil. The "caraí” also knew the "ayvu porã"- "the beautiful words", the "sacred words", the true words, a common language of human beings and gods, the sacred teachings.
These "beautiful words" were poems, the poetical language which could describe the reality of all things and its values. The good words to celebrate the divine dimension in the people's life just because they were related to the true dimension of human beings understood as being gods that have lost the "original song". This song was conceived as an original sound born from the "the divine wisdom".
The originality of this theology is that the language was also conceived as a song: and I quote some phrases of their mythical cosmological poem which says: "the song was conceived before Earth exists… in the middle of original darkness"…"before we could conceive things…"
The "ayvu porã" were appropriate to singing, not to speak and they were beautiful because they celebrate the "sacred" dimension, a remembrance of being among gods, an "anamnesis" of their own divinity. That kind of "longing for godhood" produced a great number of internal migrations in Brazil, from the borders of the Ocean to the inland while others tried to cross the Andes mountains, always searching for the Land Without Evil. According to Tupi-Guarani belief, the land without evil was a place where crops grew by themselves, people spent their time feasting and dancing, and no one ever died. They also believe that "the land with evil ", we still live in will be destroyed.
The prophetic bent of Tupi-Guarani religion and its dream of an earthly paradise provide an indigenous scenario for a Church seeking to reclaim its own prophetic role and to locate the struggle for salvation in the unfolding of human history.

On 22 April, 1979, in the Cathedral da Sé in São Paulo, the first celebration of a mass entitled "The Mass of the Land Without Evil" (Missa Da Terra sem Males) took place. Using native music drawn from various regions of South America also performed with native instruments like quena, tarkat-anat, bombo legüero, charango, zikuri or zampoña, cul-trum, pinkuko; the mass is primarily the work of one of the most famous of Brazil's bishops, Dom Pedro Casaldáliga, an Spanish-Catalan and Pedro Tierra, nickname of Hamilton Pereira da Silva one of the victims of repression in Brasil. The music is by Matín Coplas, an Argentinian descended from Quechua and Aymara peoples.

The Mass of the Land Without Evil was composed during the year that was declared by the Brazilian Church as the Ano dos Mártires (Year of the Martyrs),1978. This commemoration involved a pointed redefinition of the notion of "martyr" to focus specifically on those missionaries who had lost their lives in recent years struggling for Indian rights and, more significantly, on the thousands of Indians martyred by the Church-supported colonial enterprise over the centuries.
At one point in the mass, a voice representing the colonial Church says:
And we missionized you,
betrayers of the gospel,
driving the Cross into your lives
like a sword,
the Good News ringing
a death knell.
Betrayers of the Gospel,
of the Word Incarnate,
we gave you as a message
an alien culture
We tore asunder
the peace of your life, …

The general message of the mass is that the Church must face up to its past sins and compensate for them with a new commitment. As Pedro Tierra says in his preface to the mass,

The same Church that blessed the sword of the conquistadors and sacramentalized the massacre and extermination of entire peoples, in this mass covers itself with ashes and makes its own profound penance... [despite the past]history continues and the Church maintains deep ties with the oppressed of America. Let our penitence contribute to transforming this tie into a march forward, side by side with the people on the path to their liberation [Casaldáliga et al. 1980:23]

The Church confesses and, having confessed, moves on.
The special significance of the land without evil theme for the contemporary Church is revealed in this same preface, in an insistence that the belief of the Tupi-Guarani peoples "was not [in] a 'Heaven-without-evil', but a Land-without-evil, a possible utopia" (1980:23).

Tupi-Guarani beliefs are thus mobilized in support of a particular interpretation of the Kingdom of God. Though not fully realizable in this world, the Kingdom of God must be struggled for first of all in this world, since its meaning is to be understood not within a purely apocalyptic/millenarian frame of reference, but through locating God's purposes in human history.

The Land Without Evil (Terra sem Males) which the Guarani people and so many other indigenous peoples have been searching for in a moving quest is a possible land (a possible Earth), a fundamental duty of our human history; the joy of our hope in Jesus Christ , our risen Lord. The New Heaven and the New Earth our God promised us.
We have the good news, "beautiful words" of the Gospel, we have a new song in our hearts and we are the people of the WAY on the way. Let us also dream and search for the “Land without Evil”.
copyright (c) Simei Monteiro/WCC

Liturgy for Brazil and its indigenous peoples

Ecumenical Centre ~ Morning Prayer16 June 2008
Praying through the Ecumenical Prayer Cycle for Brazil and its Indigenous Peoples

Assurini Indians
At the border of the Tocantins River in Brazil, on the outskirts of the Amazon rainforest, fourteen Indian tribes competed in the First Traditional Indian Games of Pará (I Jogos Tradicionais Indigenas do Pará)

Welcome
L: On the behalf of all the peoples' father - Maíra* of everything -
On the behalf of the Son,
Who made all people brothers and sisters,
In the blood mixed with all bloods,
On the behalf of the Liberating Alliance.
On the behalf of the Light for all cultures.
On the behalf of Love which is in all loves.
On the behalf of the Land-without-Evil,
Lost in the profit, won in the sorrow,
on the behalf of the vanquished Death,
on the behalf of Life, we sing , O God! (from Missa da Terra sem Males)

*origin/completeness/ the land without evil

Song: Cantai ao Senhor (Thuma Mina # 3, sung in Portuguese)

Psalm 148

1 Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights!
2 Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his host!
3 Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars!
4 Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens!
5 Let them praise the name of the Lord, for he commanded and they were created.
6 He established them forever and ever; he fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed.
7 Praise the Lord from the earth, you sea monsters and all deeps,
8 fire and hail, snow and frost, stormy wind fulfilling his command!
9 Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars!
10 Wild animals and all cattle, creeping things and flying birds!
11 Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth!
12 Young men and women alike, old and young together!
13 Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his glory is above earth and heaven.
14 He has raised up a horn for his people, praise for all his faithful, for the people of Israel who are close to him.
Praise the Lord!

Aleluia (from Missa da Terra sem Males; see attached)

Gospel Reading: John 1: 1-14 (read in Portuguese)
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth.

Aleluia (from Missa da Terra sem Males; first phrase only)

Telling the Story of the Land without Evil ~ Simei Monteiro

Intercessions (From WCC 9th Assembly in Porto Alegre)

L: Spirit of peace, fill all the world with your transforming presence.
May the leaders of all countries rule with maturity and justice.
May all nations have tranquility and their sons and daughters be blessed.
May the people and the flocks and the herds prosper and be free from illness.
May the fields bear much fruit and the land be fertile.
May the face of all enemies be turned towards peace.

Sung Response: Oré poriaju vereko Ñandejara / Oré poriaju vereko Ñandejara
(TM 46)

L: Spirit of unity, we pray for your church.
Fill your people with all truth and peace.
Where we are corrupt, purify us. Where we are in error, direct us.
Where anything in us is amiss, reform us. Where we are right, strengthen us.
Where we are in need, provide for us. Where we are divided, reunite us.

Sung Response: Oré poriaju vereko Ñandejara / Oré poriaju vereko Ñandejara

L: Spirit of love, watch over those who wake or watch or weep,
and give your angels charge over those who sleep.
Tend the sick, rest the weary, give courage to women in childbirth,
soothe the suffering, and bless the dying.

Sung Response: Oré poriaju vereko Ñandejara / Oré poriaju vereko Ñandejara

L: God of Creation, of planting, growth and harvest:
Sow the potential of your Word in our lives, in the midst of this world,
like seed broadcast across a field of fertile soil.
Through the presence of your Son, our Light and our Life,
nurture the tender shoots of faith as they grow strong and tall.
By the power of your Spirit, help us to reap a harvest
of honest belief, unity, justice, peace and love. Amen.

Sung Response: Oré poriaju vereko Ñandejara / Oré poriaju vereko Ñandejara

Affirmation of Faith

L1: I believe in God, the Almighty that led the people
in exile, and in exodus,
the God of Joseph in Egypt
and of Daniel in Babylonia,
the God of foreigners and of immigrants.

L2: I believe in Jesus Christ, a displaced Galilean,
who was born far from his people,
who fled from his country with his parents
when his life was in danger,
and when he returned to his own country
he suffered oppression
at the hands
of the tyrannical Pontius Pilate.
He was persecuted, beaten,
and finally tortured,
accused and condemned to death, unjustly.

All: But on the third day, this despised Jesus,
rose again from the dead,
not as a foreigner
but instead to offer us citizenship in heaven.

L1: I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the eternal immigrant
of the Reign of God among us,
who speaks all the languages,
who lives in all the countries,
and who joins together all the races.

L2: I believe in the Church as sanctuary
for the foreigner
and for all the believers who form it,
that speak the same language
and have a common purpose.

All: I believe in the Communion of the Saints
that begins when we accept
the diversity of the saints.

L1: I believe in forgiveness that puts everyone
on the same footing of equality,
and I believe in reconciliation,
that identifies us, one to the other,
much more than race, language or nationality
identifies us.

All: I believe in resurrection,
the moment in which God will unite us
as one people
and all of us will be unique,
but at the same time alike.

Beyond this world,
I believe in eternal life,
in which no one will be an immigrant,
but instead citizens of
the infinite Reign of God. Amen.
(A Creed for the Immigrants: José Luis Casa, translated by: Kelly Ray)

Song: A little beyond this our time (see attached)

Final Compromise

L: America, Ameríndia, still Passion:
One day your death
Will have resurrection!
The Easter we eat
Feed us with the time to come.
We will be your peoples
The people who are to come.
The poor of this earth

All: We want to invent,
this Land without Evil
That comes each morning.
Uirás* always looking for
A Land that will come...
Maíra in the origins.
At the end, Marana-tha. Amen

*human beings

Blessing

L: Let us ask for God's blessing:

All: May the blessing of the God of peace and justice be with us;
May the blessing of the Son who weeps the tears of the world’s suffering
be with us;
And may the blessing of the Spirit
who inspires us to reconciliation and hope be with us;
from now into eternity. Amen

Dedication of the Sibiu Deisis icon

Morning service- Monday 9 June 2008 ~ Dedication of the Sibiu “Deisis” icon

Welcome

Hymn: Many are the lightbeams (no. 40)
Call to prayer
L: God is with us, Christ goes with us,
and the Holy Spirit leads us,
through light and shadow,
through heights and depths,
through fire and water, into new life.

All: We worship in the name
of God the Father,
in the name of Jesus Christ,
in the name of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Introduction to the Service
Psalm 36
All: Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens,
Your faithfulness to the clouds.
Women: Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,
Your judgments are like the great deep.
Men: You save humans and animals alike, O Lord.
Women: How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
All people may take refuge in the shadow of your wings.

Men: They feast on the abundance of your house,
and you give them drink from the river of your delights.

All: For with you is the fountain of life.
In your light we see light. Amen.
Hymn: Lumière de Dieu (No. 11 – Français, English, German)
Affirmation of faith (Ruthann)

L: We believe, Lord Jesus,
that you are the true light
that enlightens all
who come into the world.

All: We believe
and we confess.

L: We believe, Lord Jesus,
that you are the light of the world,
and that in you
we discover the light of life.

All: We believe
and we confess.

L: We believe, Lord Jesus,
that as we walk in light,
we have fellowship with one another,
and you cleanse us from all sin.

All: We believe
and we confess. Amen. (Jn 1,9; Jn 8,12; 1 Jn 1,7)

Hymn: Lumière de Dieu (No. 11 – Español, Italiano, Français)

Bible reading: John 1,5-14; 3,25-30 (Smaranda)
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth.
Now a discussion about purification arose between John's disciples and a Jew. They came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, the one who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you testified, here he is baptizing, and all are going to him." John answered, "No one can receive anything except what has been given from heaven. You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, 'I am not the Messiah, but I have been sent ahead of him.' He who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. For this reason my joy has been fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease."

Meditation on the Sibiu “Deisis” icon - Luca Negro

Hymn: Am văzut lumina cea adevărată (No. 3)

Prayer (from the Romanian Orthodox Tradition)

Lord’s Prayer

Blessing

Meditation on the Sibiu Icon by Luca Negro

The following sermon was preached by Revd. Luca Negro as a meditation on the Sibiu Icon from the Third European Ecumenical Assembly which took place in Sibiu last year.

You can find the order of service of which this mediation was part here and I'll also try and post the icon itself both here and on the main blog.

Luca is a pastor of the Waldensian Church in Italy so it's good to have his perspectives on an Orthodox icon. He currently works at the Conference of European Churches as their communications officer.

Bible text: John 1,5-14; 3,25-30

Reception into the Chapel of the Sibiu Icon ~ Geneva, Ecumenical Centre, 9 June 2008

Dear sisters, dear brothers,

“The light of Christ shines upon all – Hope for renewal and unity in Europe”: this was the theme of the 3rd European Ecumenical Assembly, which was held in Sibiu, Romania, from 4 to 9 September 2007. More than 2000 Christians from all over Europe participated in the Assembly, which was jointly convened by CEC and by the (Roman Catholic) Council of European Bishops’ Conferences (CCEE).
The Assembly theme was clearly inspired by the Gospel of John. The theme of light is present already in the Prologue of the fourth Gospel, as we heard: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it”. The light is Jesus Christ himself – and in order to avoid confusion the Gospel specifies that John the Baptist, though a “man sent from God”, “he himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light”, the “true light which enlightens everyone”.
To testify to the light, to witness to the true light which enlightens everyone: this was the mission of John the Baptist, Jesus’ forerunner - but isn’t it also the mission of the church, of the disciples of Jesus? Actually, the fourth Gospel influenced the Sibiu theme not only through the reference to light, but also through John’s theological reflection on witness.
This “theology of witness” was made visible in Sibiu through the Assembly icon, the one we are receiving today into our Chapel. Painted on glass by the monks of the Orthodox Monastery of Sambata de Sus, not far from Sibiu, it is a special version of a very common icon, the so called “Deisis Icon” (the Greek word deisis meaning prayer, supplication).
This icon is present in every Orthodox Church, but our icon is special for two reasons: first of all because in the original version of this Sambata de Sus icon there is a different phrase written on the Gospel which Jesus holds in His left hand. The original has: “I am the door, the resurrection and the life”, a combination of John 10,7 and John 11,25, while the Assembly icon has another verse from John, which is more directly connected to the Assembly theme: “Eu sunt lumina lumii”, “I am the light of the world” (John 8,12).
The second detail is that, in the original, each of the four angels holds a long sword in his hand. After a discussion in the EEA3 Worship Committee, and in the spirit of the Decade to Overcome Violence, which challenges us to purify our spirituality from all forms of violence, we asked and were allowed to have four “non-violent” angels – as you can see, they are now carrying thuribles instead of swords.
But it is time to look more closely at the other characters of the icon. The main figure, of course, is Jesus Christ on his throne. But who are the two persons behind him? I have made a test, asking several Western European Christians, and the constant answer is: well, of course, they are Saint Mary and Saint Joseph. This is, of course, wrong, or at least half wrong. Indeed, the person on the left is Mary, but Mary’s counterpart is not Joseph but John the Baptist. Why this combination, quite unusual for us? Because – I was told by my Orthodox brothers and sisters – Mary and John the Baptist are at the same time the precursors, and the witnesses of Jesus. They are the last prophets, and at the same time the first representatives of the Church.
For a Protestant like me it was interesting to discover that Mary can be seen as a forerunner and a witness of Jesus Christ. She is indeed a precursor, in that she bore Him for nine months in her body. And she is a witness: during the wedding at Cana (the first miracle of Jesus in the Gospel of John), Mary is already acting as a witness of Jesus, when she invites the servants to confidently follow the instructions of Jesus: “Do whatever He tells you” (2,5).
It is interesting to note the position and attitude of these two witnesses in the icon. First of all, they are not at the forefront, but behind Jesus, and they are much smaller then Him. Their look is fixed on Jesus, and with their hands they point to Jesus – this is at the same time the attitude of prayer. They are not announcing themselves, they are witnessing to the true light. Doesn’t this remind us of John the Baptist’s attitude, who points Jesus to his disciples, saying: Behold, the Lamb of God (John 1,29)? Who says: He must increase, but I must decrease (3,30). Who says: He who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie (John 1,27). Indeed, there is a clear reference to this last verse in the icon, because as you can see Jesus is wearing sandals.
Dear sisters and brothers, what does it mean, today, to be witnesses of the light of Christ? It means to learn from Mary and John: they are not in the foreground, and their role is basically to point to Jesus, whom they are themselves contemplating. The Assembly in Sibiu clearly suffered from the difficult ecumenical climate of these years. The Sibiu icon was there, in the Assembly tent, to remind us of the right attitude, of the humility of witnesses. It was and is a challenge for all of us to take a step back, whichever church we belong to; to decrease, so that Jesus Christ, the true light, will increase and His light will reach all human beings.
Amen.

Repeat hope to overcome hopelessness - a sermon by Roger Schmidt

This sermon was preached by Roger Schmidt at the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva
At the beginning of the week when we were praying for South Africa, Swaziland, Lesotho and Namibia.
Roger, a pastor from Germany, is the Lutheran World Federation's youth secretary - yu can find him on facebook.
You can find the liturgy for the worship this is part of here.
At the beginning of the service large buckets of sand were scattered on the marble stpes of the altar. The service sheet had a picture of brooms on it and at moments throughout the service the sand was move and swept to different part of the chapel.

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

It is once again Monday morning. And probably you did what you do most Monday mornings. You rode the bus, took the car or came here by bike. Then you entered the chapel. You grabbed the worship paper, looked around to find a free seat. Maybe you were a little bit disappointed if someone else was already sitting in the place where you usually sit.
It is Monday morning, once again.
And on this day, like on every other day, we are going to repeat things that we have already done before, checking email, chatting with the colleague next door, going to the cafeteria or hastily eating the lunch that we brought with us.
Life is made up of repetitions. And I think that is a good thing.
Only if we repeat our behaviour are others able to know what they can expect of us.
Only because I am going to say "hi" to my colleagues today and tomorrow, are they going to say "hi" to me, today and tomorrow. Repetitions are a good thing. They are the basis of every day life. They make it possible for us to live in a community.

However, there are other repetitions: repetitions of war, famine and injustice.
How often do we have the impression: We've seen it before.
While we were preparing the worship together, my colleague Rolita said that we should be talking about the attacks on foreigners that took place in South Africa. I said that I cannot talk about that. I know too little about the context. I've never been to South Africa, how can I voice my opinion? But then I realized: I can talk about what happened in my own country time and time again. I can talk about how in times of social tensions, the weak attack those who are even weaker.
This is again a repetition.
A repetition of hopelessness.
The repetition of suffering.
The repetition of death.

Repetitions define how we understand our life.
Repetitions determine how we interact with the world.
And how often do we let the repetition of hopelessness determine our life?
In the little play at the beginning of the worship service, the repetition of hopelessness was symbolized by the sand. Repetitions of hopelessness disguise what we need to see more clearly: the gospel of Jesus Christ.

That is what the biblical texts this morning so clearly talk about. In Matthew, at the end of the sermon of the mount, Jesus tells us: Whoever, heard and does these words, builds a house on a solid rock.
Of course through our baptism we are built on rock.
But the repetitions of hopelessness are so powerful and sand gets on the rock.

That is why the Old Testament reading makes such an impression. It does not only contain an admonition to do the right thing. It is a Jewish method for fighting the repetition of hopelessness by the repetition of hope. I am reading once again the short passage from Deuteronomy 6:

Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Deuteronomy provides a prescription against the endless repetition of hopelessness: and that is remembering.
And how do you best remember? By repeating, again and again.

If we want to sweep away the sand that has fallen on the solid foundation of our faith – we have to repeat what our faith is all about. We have to hear the good words of the gospel. We have to hear once again that God, the creator of heaven and earth, has not forsaken us. He has come to us in Jesus Christ leading us through death to life. We have to train our voices in songs of praise. We have to talk about the hope that is in us.
The vicious cycle of hopelessness can only be broken by the repetition of what we can believe, by the repetition of hope.
Therefore, let’s do that. Let’s sweep away the sand of hopelessness. Let’s repeat the good practices of faith. Let’s do that this morning, tomorrow and again and again.
Amen.







Repetition the Monday morning routine
Our life is made of repetitions
Only what we repeat is real (?) by repeating we decide what we allow to be real

A true enough example woman with HIV and aids

Repetition of hopelessness south Africa and example xenophobia
It I'd this the endless repetition of hoplessnesd that drags us down

Retelling of the bible texts A

Sand or Rock - a liturgy for Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa and Swaziland

Morning Worship, Ecumenical Centre, 2 June 2008
(This liturgy was put together by Roger Schmidt, Simone Sinn, Jessie Kgoroeadira, Rolita Machila and Francis Chan)

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change.

According to the Ecumenical Prayer Cycle
we pray for Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland

Hymn: Haleluya! Pelo tsa rona (Thuma Mina 114)

Prayer with words from Psalm 46

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,
though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble with its tumult.
Come, behold the works of the Lord;
see what desolations he has brought on the earth.
He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields with fire.
‘Be still, and know that I am God!
I am exalted among the nations,
I am exalted in the earth.’
The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Amen.

Hymn: Sanna, sannanina

Scripture Readings

Deuteronomy 11:18-21
18 You shall put these words of mine in your heart and soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and fix them as an emblem on your forehead. 19 Teach them to your children, talking about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. 20 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, 21 so that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land that the Lord swore to your ancestors to give them, as long as the heavens are above the earth.


We stand for the Hymn and Gospel reading
Rakanaka Vhangeri (Thuma Mina 84), Verse 1 (in English)
Come and hear now the gospel, hear the good news.
Come and hear now the gospel, hear the good news.
We sing it many times again, the gospel’s good news.
We sing it many times again, the gospel’s good news.

Matthew 7:24-29
24 "Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. 25 The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its fall!" 28 Now when Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astounded at his teaching, 29 for he taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.

Rakanaka Vhangeri, Verse 2 and 3
Powerful is the gospel, very powerful.
Powerful is the gospel, very powerful.
We sing it many times again, the gospel’s powerful news.
We sing it many times again, the gospel’s powerful news.

Let us live out the gospel, live the good news.
Let us live out the gospel, live the good news.
We sing it many times again, go, live the good news.
We sing it many times again, go, live the good news.

Reflection (Roger Schmidt)

Hymn: Let us build a house where love can dwell
(from Marty Haugen, see Evangelical Lutheran Worship No. 641)

Intercessions

God of hope and commitment,
You affirm again and again how precious we are in your eyes.
You are mindful of us and care for us.
You constantly draw us into the realm of your grace and truth.
In that realm we breathe your steadfast love
we hear your encouraging voice
and we feel your committed heart.
We praise you and thank you for all the encouraging experiences
that sustain our lives.

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

We pray for this world that is paralyzed by injustice and despair:
Create communities of hope and commitment,
where people sing and dance and laugh,
because they feel your presence,
where they feel their own dignity and rejoice in the other’s dignity,
where belonging and freedom is real.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change.

We pray for and with the churches and peoples
in Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa and Swaziland
that they may be constantly renewed through your grace and truth.

We pray for stability and justice, politically and economically.
We pray for all those who suffer
because of the recent anti-immigrant riots in South Africa.
We pray for the displaced people
and all those who provide immediate relief.
We think of those who live in difficult housing situations
and those who are unemployed.
God, help women, men and young people to build bridges and relations where societies are disrupted.

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

We pray for this world that has enormous difficulties to live with difference. People with migration experiences are especially vulnerable,
as are people in destabilized economic situations.

God, we need your tangible presence
in order to create a space of hope and commitment
in order to sweep away the sand that makes lives slippery.

We thank you for the songs and poems and stories of hope that emerged from the Southern African region.
We thank you for the well known and less known courageous and committed personalities who enabled political change.
We thank you for the churches and initiatives in Namibia who worked for the establishment of the Basic Income Grant and therefore enable economic change.

We commend all those whom we know in the Southern African region into your hands.
Sustain their lives and their work.
Renew their hope and commitment.
Strengthen our relationships with them.

For with you is the fountain of life;
and in your light we see light.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change.

Our Father … (in our many languages)

Hymn: Thuma Mina (Thuma Mina 167)

Blessing and Beatitudes:

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.